LI Kids Review: The Speaking Children’s Dictionary with Spell Correction from Franklin Electronics

Manufacturer: Franklin Electronics
Price: $40.85
Buy this Toy at: Amazon for $40.85

While I have used the brand Franklin Electronics numerous times in the past for calculators (especially Graphing Calculators) I have never purchase their products for children or their dictionary products. Still, when I was approached to review a Franklin product, I was interested in checking out the Electronic Children’s Dictionary for a number of reasons. While I do not have a child between the ages of six and eleven (the suggested ages), I have a nephew that is getting there, and a son that is only a bit older than that.

What I found while testing this out was that this dictionary has a number of uses beyond the obvious and that it would be perfect for kids in that age range, as well as for older children and even adults with moderate to severe learning disabilities. Having a dictionary like this gives a child a sense of independence. If they do not know a word, they no longer have to rely on someone else to find out what it means.

With the Speaking Children’s Dictionary a child can type in the word (thanks to a phonetic spell check, the child doesn’t have to spell the word correctly) and he/she will be able to find out what it means. While we came across a few words not included in the dictionary, there are about 44,000 words loaded up, so this shouldn’t be a major problem that your child encounters.

Positives & Negatives:
Positives:
Allows for independence/growth
Educational
Helps with Creativity
Builds Vocabulary
Strengthens Communication

Negatives:
$40 can Feel like it’s a Bit Expensive
None other than price

Pricing & Availability:
I have yet to go into a department store around my home and not find the Franklin Electronics brand. Chances are, the same could be said for you. However, if your local stores do not sell The Speaking Children’s Dictionary with Spell Correction you can easily find this on Amazon and at plenty of other Internet shopping sites.

When it comes to the price I admit that I would be a bit hesitant to purchase this. It is not that I don’t think it’s a good product. It’s more that I would be worried about the limited life of the product. That being said, the price is well worth it if your child is struggling with learning problems, reading, or language.

This will give them the confidence and independence needed to excel in these educational areas. However, if your child is on target where learning is concerned it would really just depend on if you felt they needed this to further their learning. In some cases it will be a highly recommended product and in others, it’s completely optional.

Price:

Requirements & Instructions:
As with most learning products you aren’t going to have too many problems getting this to work. The folks at Franklin Electronics have tried to make this as easy as possible for the kids that will be using it. The hardest part (as with most toys these days) is going to be getting the batteries in. Once you’ve accomplished this everything should be smooth sailing. Instructions are easy to follow and there are a number of large print, bright buttons to help you get where you need to go.

Durability:
The Speaking Children’s Dictionary is plastic and has a flip cover to protect the keyboard and screen. Short of crushing this you shouldn’t have any durability issues. This could be dropped once (or much more) and you probably wouldn’t even notice that there was a problem. Based on the hard plastic and the purpose of the item, I could see this outlasting the majority of children that will be using it.

Durability:

Ease of Use:
I don’t think the average child will have any problem with this. In the case of CT he knew just what he wanted to do and how to make it happen. Granted he is a little older, but he was new to the product and was using it like he was an old pro. Braxton did not have any interest in this, though as a four year old, I expected that would be the case.

I am sure if he attempted to get it to work he would have been able to after a little trial and error. If your child has learning difficulties and they are severe you may need to help them out some until they get the hang of it, but most children should do just fine on their own.

Ease of Assembly:
Child Readiness:

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
I don’t know that I would say this is a fun product, but it is certainly worthwhile. It’s something that most kids can use and in some cases it will get them excited about learning because it will remove some of the minor frustrations that cause them to want to stop trying to learn things.

The features include:
44,000 Words are loaded up into the dictionary
Phonetic based Spelling Correction (turns luv into love)
Speaks both Words and Definitions
Offers Word by Word Matching
Offers an Interactive Rhyme Finder
The Most Simple Definitions are Included
Personal Spelling Word List (Load up your Spelling words for the Week and practice with various exercises)
Offers Five Word Games with Varying Degree of Skill
Confusables Feature distinguishes Different Words that Sound Alike
Animated Guide Offers Print and Cursive Handwriting Models
Use with Headphones

If the user like word games this will be a lot more fun than if they prefer other types of games. That being said there is way more here than just a dictionary. From handwriting help to study support, this is one dictionary that is a hands-on learning tool with games to boot.

Fun Factor:
Lasting Appeal:

Bottom Line:
While The Speaking Children’s Dictionary with Spell Correction doesn’t have as long of a shelf life, per child, as I would like, I can easily see why children would benefit from owning one of these. If they are struggling in school, I highly recommend that you pick one of these up. If they are not but they are interested in language, want to be better writers, or want some more independence when it comes to socialization and understanding some more difficult words, this is the perfect product for them. I recommend checking this out, especially if you think your child will benefit from what Franklin Electronics has to offer.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: LI Kids Review, The Speaking Children’s Dictionary, Spell Correction, Franklin Electronics, Toys, Electronic Toys

Written by Dominick Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.